Electric sparker for gas-engines.



PATENTED JAN. 22, 1907.

R. P. RALSTON. ELECTRIC SPARKER FOR GAS ENGINES.

APPLICATION TILED M Ailorlze UNITED i STATES PATENT OFFICE. REUBEN P. RALSioN, OF. Wo oDsFIELn, OHIO.

I ELECTRICSPARKER on GAS-ENGINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 22, 1907.

To aZZ whom it mag concern.-

Be it known that I, REUBEN P. RALs'roN,

a citizen of the United States. residing at VVoodsfield} 1n the county of Monroe and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Sparkers for Gas-Engines, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

said plugs being provi My invention relates to electric sparkers, and more particularly to that class wherein a sparking plug is used in j ump-spark ignition plug systems for explosive-engines in connection with cylinders or explosive-chambers, one of the objects being to provide a device of the character described that shall be simple and inexpensive in construction and effeetive and durable in operation.

A further object of my said invention is to provide a device of the character described wherein cone-shaped lugs are employed,

ed with platinum removable plug-points wedged or brazed. in the plug by meansof silver solder.

Other objects and advantagesoi' my inven tion, as wellas the structural features by means of which said objects are attained, will be made clear by an examination of the specification, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which the same reference-numerals indicate corresponding portions throughout, and in which Figure 1 designates the cylinder of a gas- .engine, partly in section, showing my device applied. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal'section of the device. Fig. 3 is a detail perspective of the plug and plug-point, and Fig. 4 is a side elevation illustrating the operation of the plugs. Y a

1 designates a gas-engine cylinder having an opening 2, through which passes a frame 3, secured in place by bolts and nuts 4 or by any other suitable means. This frame 3 extends somewhat beyond the inner wall of the cylinder and isprovided with two apertures extending the entire length thereof, and through these apertures pass a couple of stems 5, having cone-shaped openings 6, corresponding in contourto the cone-shaped plugs or electrodes 7. The inner point on one of said stems 5 is disposed at an angle, as shown in Fig. 2, for purposes hereinafter mentioned. Each of said plugs or electrodes 7 is provided with a platinum point 8, which is preferably brazed in an opening in one end of said plug or soldcrer in with silver solder.

passing from one point to These plugs or electrodes are driven into the openings 6 until rigidly secured in place. the contour of said openings being such that vwhen it is desired to replace the platinum point 8 the plugs may be easily driven out of their places in the stems 5 and replaced after the platinum point has been renewed or repaired. These points arearranged so that when the two plugs are inposition in the stems, as best shown in Fig. 2, the points are in. close proximity to each other, so that a spark is created by the electrical current the other. The stem 5, having the inner end disposed at an angle, is given an oscillating or rocking I motion by means of the crank 9, which is preferably operated by the engine, so that the platinum point on the plug secured in said stem last mentioned is alternately thrown into and out of mechanical contact with the point upon the other stem, so that the sparking occurs at the desired. intervals according to the speed with which the crank operates said stem. The inner point of said stem being disposed at an angle, as shown, affords an opportunity for the plug therein to be driven out of or to be inserted in the opening 6 without coming in contact with the opposite plug. 10 designates an insulated wire which is secured to any part of the cylinder, and 11 another insulated wire connecting with one of said Stems 5, which said stem is insulated, as shown at 12.

In operation, the frame 3 is placed in the aperture 2 of the. explosive-chamber or cylinder 1. The straight stem 5, which is insulated, is charged from the wire 11, and the other stem 5 is charged. with the electricity conveyed to the cylinder by the wire 10, so

that when the electrodes '7 are in operative position the spark is created by the current passing from one of said points to the other, and said sparks arecreated at the desired in tervals,,as heretofore explained.

Having thus described my said invention, What I claim as new, and desircto secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1-.-In an article of manufacture, an elec trode for electric sparkers, comprising a coneshaped plug having flat ends and a longitudinally-extending aperture formed therein, and a metallic contactpoint removably secured in said aperture and having one of its ends projecting from the' larger end of said plug, substantially as shown and described and for the purpose set forth 2. An electric sparker for gas-engines, comprising a frame or body having longitudinally-extending bores or apertures of unequal diameters formed therein'and an integral, apertured, attaching-fiange at one of its ends, a sleeve of insulating material in the bore of larger 'diameter,-a stationary stem fixed in said sleeve and having its inner, projecting end formed with a transversely-extending tapered opening, mounted to turn in the bore of smaller diameter and having its inner end bent angularly and formed'with a transversely-extending, tapered opening, means upon the outer end of said oscillatory stem for rocking the same,

an oscillatory stern electrodes reinovably cone-shaped plugs or openings in the lnner wedged in the tapered ends of said stems and having longitudinally- 

